The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-07-08
LETTER FROM OMAHA.
No. ".

Il
receptacle for all the sewers of the CITY
and, thirdly, it receives and floats away
all the offal from stables, slaughter
houses, cess pools, and the garbage and
general filth of the city, which, if trans.
ported into the country, would be worth
thousands of dollars as a fertilizer. A
" dump boat" or scow is made fast and
all the teams carrying away offal OF
filth detrimental to public health are
required to drive upon it and "dump''
their load into the river, which is swiftly
carried away by the strong current, but
whether it is any improvement to the
water which supplies the people oil
Plattsmouth, city of z 900 inhabitants
twenty miles below, the reader must
judge. The amount of offal and filth
from city of $1,000 to 10000 is NO
small item. Heretofore certain local
ity on the bottoms was designated as the
city dump grounds" and about an
acre was filled to the depth of eight feet
with refuse of every description, till
public health and decency required some
other disposal of the "dumpings; p
hence the dump boat and the river were
utilized for the purpose.
In justice to Omaha, it may be stated
that the water works are located some
distance above the dump boat. The
river is excessively muddy, and very ap-
priately nick-named the Big Muddy.
Any amount of soil is held in solution
and swept past the city, except what is
arrested by the water works. The water
is pumped into immense reservoirs, and
is charitably supposed to be allowed to
settle and deposit its real estate on the
bottom before being distributed through
the mains, but, as seen through a goblet
on table, it would be stretching point
to cal! it transparent so that the people
are not only addicted to traffic in real es-
tate, but actually drink a large amount
There are also grave insinuations that
the dairyman's COWS drink river water
and dabble in real estate from the sedi.
ment in the milk cans.
Let no one jump to the conclusion
however, that the people are compelled
to drink river water in order to quench
their thirst. Any one of the gentleman.
ly proprietors of the 23O saloons, who
have paid 81 900 for the privilege, will
very kindly furnish mug of foamine
beverage, prepared from hops and malt
for the paltry sum of a nickel, the effects
of which are far more striking than river
water.
The river has stated rise, twice a
year-once in March, at the spring
break up, when the surface is covered
with floating ice, drift-wood and all kinds
OF debris, rushing down with the swift
current. 1t is then a scene of great in.
terest to behold. The spring rise this
season was about IA to 16 feet, but the
present June rise has not exceeded six
feet. There are no ferry boats crossing
at this point, but, instead, ferry train
which crosses the bridge every half hour
during the day. The bridge is now be-
ing enlarged and wagon track added
1t is probable that another bridge will
soon span the river short distance
above the present structure.
The channel is changeable, often, dur
ing freshet, changing its course very
materially. A couple of miles above
the city is an old river course called
Cutoff Lake, three miles in length, of a
horseshoe form, which was entirely cut
Oft by change of channel but few
years ago, and former portion of Iowa
now lies Oh the west side of the main
channel in Nebraska.
A post is pointed out at the foot of the
bluffs to which steamers tied in an early
day, which is now more than 40 rods
from the bank, the river having receded
towards the east, leaving bottoms, vary
ing from 10 to so rods in width. Above
the bridge these bottoms are wider than
below, and are occupied by railroad
tracks, lumber yards, ice houses, etc.
Below the bridge the ground is largely
occupied by 'ssquatters," consisting of
Bohemians and other imported ele-
ments, with numberless faxen-haired
children. The canine department of
each family is about equal numerically,
to the children, consisting of all the con-
temptible breeds of the universe, in
Guiding mongrel, puppy, whelp and
hound, and ours of low degree" The
neighbors living in close proximity, the
children and dogs mingle promiscuously,
and constitute a census which is formid-
able to contemplate. A little hiss or
" sic 'em" is sufficient to set the canine
in motion. In the latter
part Of the day dog fights are almost of
hourly occurrence, and pandemonium
reigns. The children dispute over some
cur which did not show fair
fight, the mothers join the children in
the dispute, and the men support their
own women, children and dogs, while
largon of billingsgate in the jaw-breaking
language of unknown tongues rends the
air, mingled occasionally with blue
streak of tropical epithets in all the
purity of broken English.
These skirmishes, however, always
end In froth ; no one is hurt, and they
are ready to engage in another fracas on
the succeeding day.
These people are denominated river
rats, occupying miserable shanties on
.he low ground, and at high water are
drowned out like rats. At such times
hey remove their few traps" and en-
camp on higher ground until the water
subsidies. They derive a scanty subsist-
ence from catching drift-wood on the
rlver, while the women, bare-headed.
oare.footed and scantily clothed with a
leck-yoke across their shoulders, lug
huge pals of still slop from neighbor
ng distillery, containing little refuse
oran, which they utilize in some manner
past finding out by native American.
The burdens which they carry-not only
women, but children of dozen years Of
the distance to which they are
'arried from day to day under a broiling
un, with the mercury at 800 and up
wards, would be intolerable to the aver
zee able-bodied laborer. Instead of